News 09:00

BULLETIN 2 August 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Corruption Watch wins a Constitutional Court case over gender commission appointments
# The police seized over 56-thousand child abuse pictures and videos
# And President Trump moves USA nuclear submarines after comments by a Russian ex-president

# Corruption Watch says its Constitutional Court victory is a major win for democracy and public participation. The court ruled that Parliament failed to follow proper procedures when appointing five commissioners to the Commission for Gender Equality in 2023. The organisation’s Nkululeko Conco says the court also found the process lacked transparency, gave the public too little time to respond, and limited input through a restrictive online form:

# The Western Cape Agriculture Department says new outbreaks of the highly contagious bird flu have been detected in the province. Recent outbreaks have been confirmed in chickens in North West and Mpumalanga provinces, with one poultry outbreak in the Western Cape detected in farmed ducks near Paarl last month. The department’s spokesperson, Mary James, says that in addition, the virus has been responsible for mortalities in Great White Pelicans near Malmesbury and Hartlaub’s Gulls in the Cape Town area:

# Police have arrested a 59-year-old man in Standerton for possession of child sexual abuse material, seizing over 56-thousand images and videos. The arrest brings the total under Operation Bad Vibes to 16. Fifteen firearms and digital devices were also confiscated. The suspect’s bail hearing is set for Monday. Police spokesperson Amanda van Wyk says the operation, led by the police and US Homeland Security, aims to combat global child exploitation:

# US president Donald Trump says he has ordered two nuclear submarines to be moved to the appropriate regions in response to comments by former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev. Medvedev has recently threatened the US in response to Trump’s ultimatums to Moscow to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine, or face tough sanctions. Russia and the US possess the most nuclear arms in the world, and both countries have a fleet of nuclear submarines. Medvedev supports Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine launched in 2022, and is an outspoken critic of the West.

# And finally, sports news:

# Motorsport: Lando Norris is in a commanding position after completing the fastest times ahead of his McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri in Friday’s practice at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Charles Leclerc was third for Ferrari, ahead of the Aston Martins of Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso, and Lewis Hamilton in the second Ferrari. Four-time champion Max Verstappen is down in 14th place. To make matters worse for the Dutchman, who described his car as “undriveable”, he faced a likely investigation into his disposal of a cloth towel from his cockpit during the session.

# And rugby: British and Irish Lions head coach Andy Farrell has rubbished suggestions the tourists shouldn’t visit Australia again because of the Wallabies’ decline as an international force. He calls the suggestions insulting. Farrell says they had a blast, every team has its ups and downs, and Australia will always bounce back. The Lions already clinched the series by winning the first two Tests, but forwards coach John Dalziel asked his men for an 80-minute performance in today’s final Test in Sydney.

Stay tuned for more news………….